Set during an orbital repair mission, the story follows a female astronaut (Portman) who must survive a solitary ordeal after an exploded satellite wipes out the rest of the crew. Robert Downey Jr. also stars.

The lead role in the $80 million drama has been a highly sought after one as it’s a high-profile role that solely dominates the screen for much of its runtime (ala Tom Hanks in “Castaway,” James Franco in “127 Hours”). Angelina Jolie has been linked but ultimately dropped out of the project penned by Alfonso and Jonas Cuaron.

Portman will read the script and is expected to make a decision in the next week. Filming on “Gravity” is slated to kick off in January.

Portman is coming off rave reviews after the festival debut over the weekend of “Black Swan”, Darren Aronofsky’s ballet world psychological thriller in which she stars.